I want to share a bit of the powerful testimony given by someone at Hope City Church this past Sunday. Why? Testimonies prophesy into your future. Whatever you need – lined up with that testimony – is yours. God is no respecter of persons (Acts 10:34); what He’s done for others, He wants to do for you as well.
The woman had a seed in her heart – a dream that God gave her – but in the natural, it didn’t look like a possible dream: She didn’t have the education to achieve it, she had three young children (including a baby), and she had a past that the devil tried to use to condemn her. But with the encouragement from several people – including me, her husband and others – she decided to move forward on this dream journey to become a real estate person.
To begin with, she needed to take a 90-hour course. A friend of hers completed the course in two weeks…it took her eight months to complete herself. “But that was the easy part,” she said. After taking the course, she was required to pass both a state test and a national test.
The woman started with a positive attitude about it. “I’m going to take it; I’m going to pass on the first time!” she proclaimed. But she didn’t pass. Two more attempts failed. At that point, she contacted me to help her with her thoughts.
By her own admission, a lot of her thoughts weren’t right. “There were a lot of thoughts of ‘You’re dumb!’ “You’re incapable.” “You’re never going to get this!” See, throughout elementary school and into high school, she had problems learning. She even had to have people assist her and read her tests to her. But thankfully, God intervened.
I told her that she had control over her thoughts.
We all can speak the thoughts of God; He gives us His Word – the Bible – and you can take those thoughts about you and over you – and you can agree with God and He will help you change the wrong thoughts. Faith is believing what God says!
So the woman started believing God. She started speaking a number of scriptures over herself concerning this dream. God reminded her how He had shown Himself strong in the past. An addict earlier in life, God used His Word to show her that she could be free from that past – her life from completely changed and she was freed from that addiction – so she knew of God’s love and faithfulness, and she started to apply that same faith to the dream God gave her.
“And let the peace(soul harmony which comes) from Christ rule (act as umpire continually) in your hearts [deciding and settling with finality all questions that arise in your minds, in that peaceful state] to which as [members of Christ’s] one body you were also called to live. And be thankful (appreciative), [giving praise to God always].” – COLOSSIANS 3:15 (AMPC)
Be Thankful, Giving Praise to God Always!
Colossians 3:15 was one of the scriptures she used. “When I was taking the test and things seemed so big and overwhelming, I would just look down and confess what God’s Word said.”
She wrote scriptures on pieces of paper and taped them to her mirrors so she would be reminded of them. “While the enemy was in my ear saying one thing, I was confessing what I knew was true.” She said the devil’s voice was really loud, but speaking out God’s Word helped. She didn’t just think about what God said, but she spoke it out. “God spoke the world into existence; He didn’t just gesture with His hand to make it happen, but He said ‘Light be!’ The power of our words are so important!”
She also said that she had to be careful to listen to the right people, because they would come to her – not intentionally to discourage her – saying, “You’ve failed so many times; maybe this dream isn’t of God.” But she knew in her heart the dream was for her, that it was what she was called to do, so she started being more careful with who she shared her dream with.
No matter how big it felt or how impossible it looked, she knew she was called to do it!
After the Sixth Time She Failed…
After the sixth time the woman failed the test, she called me…she was discouraged. “What’s wrong? I didn’t pass again!” she asked. I responded, “So? God’s not finished!” “But I didn’t pass again…maybe it’s not for me!” she replied. But God put that seed in her heart and saw she was cultivating the seed in faith – He saw her heart – though her mind and emotions were trying to go contrary to that.
After she failed the ninth time, I reminded her what Proverbs 24:6 said, that a righteous man may fall seven times, but they still get up. “But we’re past seven!” she said. “That’s okay!” I replied. The number of times wasn’t important. “If you keep moving towards the will of God, you will obtain the will of God!”
Each and every time she failed the test, her husband would say, “That’s okay…you’ll get it!” That encouragement was so important!
On the 11th time, she passed one part of the two-part test. That was a victory! Yet, she was still down on herself. (The enemy had sent a spirit of failure. She was so overwhelmed, that even though she had passed it was hard to see the victory…but God!) Yet even in her discouragement, she continued to praise God and thank Him.
On the 13th time, she passed the second part of the testing and was certified!
During 2020, while Covid-19 was shutting things down everywhere, she was selling house after house, selling more than double the number of homes the average real estate person in the area sold! Today, she is a sought-out and highly-successful real estate agent.
There’s more to this testimony, but I want you to see that you should never give up on the seed God has placed in you! Continue standing on His Word and walk in thanksgiving and praise to God for His faithfulness! What He has started, He will bring to pass!
To watch the entire February 28, 2021 message on which this post is based, click here.
